Whereas I didn't see anything insensitive about os168's post. The Japanese Federation expressed concerned about the safety of its skaters/delegation and took this into consideration in determining whether they would send them to Cup of China. os168 addressed the issue of attacking skaters as a protest in that context, as I read it.

3-3s with loop at the end are extremely difficult to get ratified among seniors those days, I'm not surprised they are not exactly popular those days. I think we'll see more 3Lz-Ts, 3F-3Ts, etc., as the time goes on (some of the ladies who did 3T-3Ts lasts season are already doing them in practice and planning to put them in their programs this season).

Plus, 3Lz-3Lo wouldn't work too well for Miki in the SP. 3F is not her strong jump (after she fixed the edge it became somewhat unstable and frequent falls in practice aggravated her injuries), and she wouldn't be able to repeat 3L, so only acceptable choice left would be 3S (which she never did in the SP out of steps). 3Lz-3L + 3S = 15,3 BV, 3T-3T + 3Lz = 14,2. That's only 1,1 point of difference - and 3T-3T is likely to get up to +2 GoE if done well, while 3Lz-3L is likely to be downgraded again...

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While I agree with your opinion that 3X-3T combos are easier and more common than the 3X-3L combos, I don't think that's the reason Miki left it out of her program. She's not the young girl she is anymore, and she doesn't want to end up like Tara Lipinski: hip injury and all. While I would love for Miki to have competed with a 4S + 3Lz-3L SP jumps, it's not very realistic.

Also, why can't Miki repeat the loop jump? It's done in combination. If Miki wanted, she can do a 3Lz-3L + 3L. Nothing in the rule stops her. I'm quite sure a skater can compete with a 3X-3T + 3T SP.

While I agree with your opinion that 3X-3T combos are easier and more common than the 3X-3L combos, I don't think that's the reason Miki left it out of her program. She's not the young girl she is anymore, and she doesn't want to end up like Tara Lipinski: hip injury and all. While I would love for Miki to have competed with a 4S + 3Lz-3L SP jumps, it's not very realistic.

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Well, the age certainly is a factor, but the fact is that the skaters keep doing risky things as long as they are rewarded for it. Miki might not do 4S anymore, but I saw her doing 3S-3L and 3Lz-3L-3L relatively recently.

It is nigh impossible for a senior lady with a mature body to get a 3-3L ratified those days, and even if they can do it (and keep doing it) in practice, they rarely attempt in in the competition.
Even if by some miracle they'd get some of their attempts ratified, there is the question of GoEs. Ice coverage is one of the bullet points for +GoE, and in my experience the judges go really crazy for jumps that just fly across the ice. Even perfectly rotated 3L combo doesn't cover as much ice as perfectly done 3T one, and in result it actually ends up scoring lower than 3T one.

If this was just the issue of physical condition, I think we'd see more men attempt 3-3L combos (and some of the skaters are capable of doing them in practice).

(Plus, a 4S, 3Lz-3L SP is unrealistic for the ladies for now simply because it isn't allowed. A triple out of steps is the required element. )

Also, why can't Miki repeat the loop jump? It's done in combination. If Miki wanted, she can do a 3Lz-3L + 3L. Nothing in the rule stops her. I'm quite sure a skater can compete with a 3X-3T + 3T SP.

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Actually, she can't:

Solo jumps must be different from the jumps included in the combination.

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The only way for a skater to repeat a jump in SP is to have the repeated jumps be a part of the same combination (3T-3T or 3L-3L).

Even if by some miracle they'd get some of their attempts ratified, there is the question of GoEs. Ice coverage is one of the bullet points for +GoE, and in my experience the judges go really crazy for jumps that just fly across the ice. Even perfectly rotated 3L combo doesn't cover as much ice as perfectly done 3T one, and in result it actually ends up scoring lower than 3T one.

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I totally agree with you. And I hate this trend. Different kinds of jumps have their own different kinds of beauty.

Ice coverage is one of the bullet points for +GoE, and in my experience the judges go really crazy for jumps that just fly across the ice. Even perfectly rotated 3L combo doesn't cover as much ice as perfectly done 3T one, and in result it actually ends up scoring lower than 3T one.

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That principle is not evenly applied, even by the same judges (when the protocols don't juggle the judge columns from skater to skater) who might give equal GOE to a second jump in combo that has height, but drops to a stop, or a 4T combo, in which GOE appears to be based on the quality of the 4T, as long as the 3T or 2T is done competently, or, most obviously, the number of three-jump combos that get +GOE with little or no flow out of the last jump, let alone the last two, as long as they're landed in a straight-ish line.

It's always a risk that the judges will judge GOE like you describe, but there's no guarantee.

On the 18th, the Japanese Skating Federation announced the dissolution of the partnership between Takahashi Narumi and Mervin Tran, who won the Pairs' bronze medal at the world championships

Both skaters intend to continue skating in competition and are said to be looking for new partners

Narumi Takahashi said "Recently, as we've differed in the way we think about competing, we've come to disagree with each other. We actively feel like continuing with the skating that we love, so we've decided to end our partnership

Narumi Takahashi, from Chiba prefecture, formed a partnership with Mervin Tran in 2007. At this year's World Championships, they won the first medal of a pair for Japan in any major championship

Looking towards the Sochi Olympics which will take place in 2014, the aim was that Mervin Tran would obtain the Japanese citizenship, but the fact that he hadn't had a track record of living in Japan made it very difficult

PS: I am at work and did this really fast so it's not the most accurate thing ever

wow, didn´t see that coming (even if he couldn´t gain japanese citizenship before sochi).

i really liked their programs and am sad to hear this. now japan really has a problem for the team competition.
maybe they sould take the 4th guy, didn´t qualify for olympics and turn him into a pair skater in few weeks

It's possible there were real disagreements, but the skeptic in me has to wonder if it was really Narumi's decision or the JSF. If the latter, good luck finding a Japanese guy that will place her anywhere near so high in Sochi (especially given her jump inconsistency). Gutted.

What are the current rules regarding Tran representing Canada? Can he be eligible for Sochi if he sits this season out?

It's possible there were real disagreements, but the skeptic in me has to wonder if it was really Narumi's decision or the JSF. If the latter, good luck finding a Japanese guy that will place her anywhere near so high in Sochi (especially given her jump inconsistency). Gutted.

What are the current rules regarding Tran representing Canada? Can he be eligible for Sochi if he sits this season out?

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That is my first thought too. After realizing it would be impossible for Mervin to obtain a Japanese citizenship, JSF wants Narumi to find a Japanese partner. At least this way they will a have a pair at the Olympics, even if not a very good one. I am very sad, it was a beautiful team with some of my favorite programs.